More Late-Summer Flowers

Even though we're well into August, new types of flowers are still emerging in the garden! 

Above, our passionflower produced its first blossom of the season, and there are some more buds coming along. This vine hasn't been looking so great -- perhaps because I've allowed a lot of other stuff, like poppies and borage, to grow in its pot. It might be time to give it some fresh compost.

Our red-hot pokers finally sent up flowers. This one's the farthest along.

The phlox are blooming. Don't you love how the flowers open in that perfect little spiral?

OK, the teasels aren't new, but I couldn't resist one more picture. Those tall teasels that I battled to keep upright have been standing just fine, but now they're starting to die back. The leaves are yellowing and many of the flowers are spent. We'll probably cut them down soon -- but I want Dave to see them first.

We have zinnias! Woo hoo! It took long enough, but finally a few flowers have appeared. I only have a handful because I planted them in pots -- and I still have plenty of seeds for next year.

Another look at the "night sky" petunias. The squirrels really did a number on them. They're in a hanging basket on the walnut tree, and the squirrels would run up into the tree to collect nuts and then sit in the middle of this plant to eat them. Consequently a bunch of the stalks were broken and the top is flattened into a perfect little squirrel couch. The flowers are still plugging away, though.

We finally got a single nasturtium. Many of our nasturtiums haven't really prospered for some reason -- at least, not yet.

I tried to take Olga to the Heath yesterday. We were going to try a new approach, hopping on the Overground train and getting off at the Hampstead Heath station, and then walking the short distance onto the Heath. My thought was that it would save my elderly dog the walk to and from (although by the time we walk to the station and then up onto the Heath, I'm not sure we'd be saving that much effort). Anyway, wouldn't you know it -- we walked to the station to find the Overground closed. So we turned around and although Olga had initially seemed excited for a walk, she took me back home again.

I guess Sunday is a day of rest, right?

And big excitement -- Dave finally comes home today! Woo hoo! In fact he should be in the air right now. I know he's ready to get back to real life.